The numbers don't lie.
Cancer is a nasty little bugger. It's difficult to meet someone who hasn't somehow been affected by this disease in one way or another. These are some facts that I've come across in my research about cancer and they might shock you, they did me. But, this isn't about fear, this is about hope and about making a decision to make a difference.
The facts:
+ Cancer is the #1 killer in America for people under the age of 85. It will claim more than 560,000 lives this year.
+ Over 1.4 million new cases will be diagnosed annually. And, that's just in the U.S.
+ There are over 10 million cancer survivors right now. Let's do this for them!
+ One in three people will contract the disease. And, one in four will die from it.
+ Congress recently cut cancer funding for the first time in more than 30 years. As Lance Armstrong said, "We have to be ruthless...we need an unapologetic effort to demand what is right and champion what works."
+ Every three minutes a woman in the U.S. is diagosed with breast cancer, and every 13 minutes a woman (someone's mom, sister, wife, friend) dies from it.
The local perspective:
+ Oregon and Washington have the highest incidence of breast cancer in the nation. Subsequently, they both rank in the top 5 chapters in fundraising for Komen.
+ The Portland Race for the Cure is the largest on the west coast and will have over 40,000 runners and walkers participating. It's an amazing event to be involved in. Come join us in the fight.
+ The Portland LIVESTRONG Challenge will raise over $2.5 million dollars for cancer research for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Join the fight.